As part of efforts to reduce the incidence of accidental fires resulting from untended smoking articles, various jurisdictions have imposed, are imposing, and may impose in the future limitations on the burning characteristics of smoking articles. One measure of the tendency of a smoking article to cause ignition of an underlying substrate is the Ignition Propensity value. To satisfy those increasingly common governmental requirements, the Ignition Propensity value, or IP value, for a smoking article should preferably be no greater than about 25%. More preferably, the IP value should be no greater than about 20%; and even more preferably no greater than about 10%. Accordingly, efforts meet such limits are undertaken by various manufacturers of smoking articles.
Reduced IP values typically are associated with a tendency for the smoking article to self-extinguish during smoldering between puffs. Generally speaking, consumers do not like to re-light a cigarette during their smoking experience. A measure of the tendency for a smoking article to self-extinguish during free burn has been developed and is known as the Self-Extinction value. The Self-Extinction or SE value has been found to be a useful indicia to evaluate the likelihood of consumer satisfaction for a smoking article where various techniques for IP reduction have been employed. The average Self-Extinction Average value for a smoking article should preferably be no greater than about 80% and/or the Self-Extinction at 0° value should be no greater than about 50%, and more preferably no greater than about 25%.
Ignition Propensity (“IP”)
Ignition Propensity or IP is a standard test conducted as set forth in ASTM E 2187-04, “Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Smoking articles”, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference thereto. Ignition propensity measures the probability that a smoking article, when smoldering and placed on a substrate, will generate sufficient heat to maintain smoldering of the tobacco rod. Low values for IP are desirable as such values correlate with a reduced likelihood that a smoldering smoking article, when inadvertently left unattended upon a substrate, will cause combustion in the substrate.
Self Extinquishment (“SE”)
Self-Extinguishment or SE herein is a reference to smoldering characteristics of a smoking article under free burn conditions. To evaluate SE, a laboratory test is conducted at a temperature of 23° C.±3° C. and relative humidity of 55%±5%, both of which should be monitored by a recording hygrothermograph. Exhaust hood(s) remove combustion products formed during testing. Prior to testing, smoking articles to be tested are conditioned at 55%±5% relative humidity and 23° C.±3° C. for 24 hours. Just prior to testing, the smoking articles are placed in glass beakers to assure free air access.
SE testing takes place within an enclosure or test box. A single port smoking machine or an electric lighter is used to ignite the smoking articles for the test. During testing, an apparatus or “angle holder” holds the smoking articles to be tested by holding an end at angles of 0° (horizontal), 45°, and/or 90° (vertical). Preferably, twenty (20) smoking articles are tested at each of the 0°, 45°, and 90° positions. If more than one apparatus is used, the apparatuses are preferably positioned such that the smoking articles face away from each other to avoid cross interference. If a smoking article goes out before the front line of the smoldering coal reaches the tipping paper, the outcome is scored as “self-extinguishment”; on the other hand, if the smoking article continues smoldering until the front line of the smoldering coal reaches the tipping paper, then the outcome is scored as “non-extinguishment”. Thus, for example, an SE value of 95% indicates that 95% of the smoking articles tested exhibited self-extinguishment under free burn conditions; while an SE value of 20% indicates that only 20% of the smoking articles tested exhibited self-extinguishment under such free burn conditions.
The SE value may be referred to in terms of “Self-Extinction at 0° value”, “Self-Extinction at 45° value”, or “Self-Extinction at 90° value”, each of which refers to the value of SE at the specified tested angle. In addition, the SE value may be referred to in terms of “Self-Extinction Average value”, which refers to an average of the three angular positions: namely, an average of (i) the “Self-Extinction at 0° value”, (ii) the “Self-Extinction at 45° value”, and (iii) the “Self-Extinction at 90° value”. A reference to “Self-Extinction value” or “SE value” does not distinguish between SE at 0°, SE at 45°, SE at 90°, or SE average values and may refer to any one of them.
In execution of multi-pass printing operations, the operator will typically establish a press at the very beginning to print registration marks. Accordingly, in understanding the description herein of “first pass”, “second pass”, “third pass” and so forth, it should be understood that typically such passes will be preceded with a pass (or print station) for establishing registration marks on the paper, which marks are used to maintain desired registration from pass to pass (print-station to print-station).